Last Rites: The End of the Church of England [Paperback]

Michael Hampson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2006

Dire Sunday services, shrinking congregations, and financial meltdown are the realities of the contemporary Church of England. In this controversial book, Michael Hampson, who worked as a parish priest for 13 years, examines why the Church of England is in such crisis. He describes a church irreconcilably divided between liberals and evangelicals, shackled by tradition and with little resonance for the laity of modern Britain. He locates the roots of its demise in its history, from the reformation to the ordination of women and beyond. The internal fault lines of the church were exposed in 2003 by the forced resignation of Jeffrey John, the first openly gay man appointed a bishop. Michael Hampson demolishes the damaging arguments against homosexual clergy and movingly describes his own journey to ordination as a gay man within a prejudiced church. In a powerful conclusion, he argues that a radical transformation in both the culture and structure is the one hope for the renewal of the Church of England. This is a fascinating and fiery insider's view of a church that has failed its clergy, its laity, and a nation at large.

Editorial Reviews

Review

• 'The best book I have ever read about life inside the Church of England. Lucid, passionate and timely. Read it now before the whole thing's gone' Andrew Brown, Church Times
• An explosive demolition job on the Church of England, arguing for its break-up
• Exposes the shocking extent of homophobia in the church
• The crisis in the church permeates all aspects: church buildings, the liturgy, its finances, the morale of the clergy
• Michael Hampson worked as a parish priest for thirteen years
• Channel 4 documentary under discussion 'A polemic, passionate and well-informed book...extremely readable and informative and it is a wonderful guide to what is currently happening in the Church of England...very moving' Baptist

From the Back Cover

"The best book I have ever read about life inside the Church of England. Lucid, passionate and timely. Read it now before the whole thing's gone." - Andrew Brown, Church Times columnist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Granta UK (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1862078912
• ISBN-13: 978-1862078918
• Product Dimensions: 0.5 x 5.5 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,027,121 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars church of engkland, January 4, 2010

By 

Thomas H. Kiefer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Rites: The End of the Church of England (Paperback)

this book is blatantly anti Anglicanism, and a bit of over dramaticing his own effectiveness as an Anglican priest. i'm surprised the Church put up with him as long as they did. If so wonderful, why is he not a Catholic priest? Book has interesting insight, but darn if he can't quash even that with his own emotional biases.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars state religion church of england, December 14, 2009

By 

Thomas J. Myers - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Last Rites: The End of the Church of England (Paperback)

As an American Episcopalian in a 27 year partnership with another gay man, I wanted to read this book to gain an inight into the workings of the Church of England -our spiritual leader - as seen by a gay priest who left the chuch.

It has some interesting facts about the church, but it left me wondering if this guy is a drama queen who thinks he is writing a lot from the inside, 'stuff' just to get it off his chest. Even more confusing is his pitch for the Church of Rome, a church that has gone out of its way to give gay relationships the least legal credibility possible. Callng our sexual an intrinsic evil one an example. And he finds this church welcoming? This ex priest must find this ok, even if he (still)is in a partnership w/another gay man. I find it somewhat 'plastic' that he gives himself an "A" in priestly responsibilities with the masses of Anglican parishoners who supposedly cared very much about him and depairing his leaving the church. As a final void, he mentions an Anglican priest who was to become a bishop, relates a version of why he chose to not accept the position, yet gives no credible instances of just how he knows what he does, or even knows the priest involved. This could have been a good and insightful book. It is nether.